Rotary valve for internalcombustion engines



J y 6, 19 J. c. DE LA RIESTRA ETjAL 2,444,596

ROTARY VALVE FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Dec. 6, 1944 Patented July 6, 1948 ROTARY VALVE Fort 1N1]; NAL- COMBUSTION ENGINES Juan Carlos:dela-RiestrmMartin Augustodezla Riestra, and Willoughby Francisco Nixon ltc sario, Argentina Application December 6, 1944;;Se'rial-No."566,842

This invention relatesto internal combustion enginesand more particularly to an improved rotary:-va1v-e.-

Oneof the'objects of the invention is to provide a-rotaryvalve'so formed as to support a standard. typespark plug and alsocarry its operating gear Which'constitutes a unit of the timing gear train, While,-2,t-the'S&1l18 time, the valve assembly is so constructed that it may be readily clamped in operating position between the complementalhalves-or sections of a longitudinally divided motor-block. In that connection. the invention also contemplates special features of the block which cooperate with the valve mounting to radiate or dissipate the heat from the spark plug, thereby to keepit relatively cool even though it is completely-housed and concealed within the engine block.

A -further object of the invention is to provide 'a rotary valve which may readily and easily be fitted-into the complemental formations on the interior-of the block so that when the two sections are assembled, the valve is-automatically held in 'operating position with reference to the cylinder. I

Withthe above and other objects in view, which mill more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consistsin the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully-de- :scribed,:illustrated and claimed.

- A preferred-and practical embodiment of the invention isshown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a detail perspective view of a pair of valves and their respective spark plugs, ac-

cordinglto the present invention.

:tr'ating ithe longitudinally divided motor block,--.

having oneof. the valves positioned therein and i shown in horizontal section.

Si-milar.reference characters designate correspondin parts throughout the several figures of the: drawings.

As previously indicated, the presentimprovementscenter about a novel rotary valve and the manner in which it is held in position by the opposite sections of a longitudinally divided motor block.

1 Claim. (01.123-190) 2 Referringfirst t'o-Figure 1, the rotary valve designated generally'as V, essentially includes a dome-shaped bodyil provided at its lower-edge with an offset flange 2 having spaced teeth 3 cut --in. the upperacorner thereof and which serveto centrifugally pump lubricant collecting .from the dome thnough the pipes 4 and 5. The said domeshaped body is also p-rovided with a port I which alternatelyserves intake and exhaust functions; iandthe outer face of the dome l is provided with a channelB through which the oil is evenly distributedonth'e surface of the dome and whereby the overflow of the saidcil through the port-'1 into the combustion chamber is avoided; The crown of the domeisformed with a spark. plug supportingxandbearing neck 9 which is interiorly threaded-to receive the usual threaded shank of aconventional spark plug S.

His obvious that .although the bodysof the :valve has been. shown and is described and claimedaasdome-shaped, the said bodymay' be conical, cylindrical, partially spherical .or. of. any other suitable shape within the scope of the invention and. the meaningiof the claims.

At its;upper.end,the said neck 9 is joinedby a horizontal web portion with a tubular. head l0. Thishead is of .a larger diameter than the neck and performs the dual function of receivingand .lhousing the body .of the spark plug andcarrying an operating gear H which constitutes aupart ofa timing-gear train operated from the. crank shaft of .the motor.

Referring to Figure 4, it will be observedthat the 5 motor block 1 consists" of 1 the complemental .casingslor. sections A and B which meet on the longitudinal center lineC and are held in assembled relationby suitable bolts or equivalent.fastenings D.- The sections A and B of the motor block are mounted upon a suitable crank case which houses the crankshaft F journaled therein in-aplane which is co-axial to the cylinders.

The interior of the matin sections A and B of the motor block are hollow and are formed with suitable skeleton frame parts for supporting the cylinders G and also providing a cooling circulating jacket Wthereabout. That is to-say, the cylinders G are provided near their topaand bottom; ends with offset flanges G and G which are respectively-fitted in complemental grooves formed in the-inwardly projecting frame parts lZ-.l 2 and I3 l3, suitable packing l4 beingpr'ovided to render themounting of the ends of the cylinder both gas-tight and water-tight.

The -.gr o0Ves in-the parts 12-42 have their bottom .walls stepped to not only fit against -the 3 flange G of the cylinder and its packing H, but

' also abut the outer edge of the flange 2 of the body of the valve with suflicient clearance to permit valve operation.

The cylinder G is intended to receive a piston P of conventional design which is connected with the crank shaft F by connecting rod-R.

The inwardly projecting parts [2-12 located substantially at the upper end of the cylinder G are formed with complemental wall portions which communicate with conduits A and B in their respective block sections.

The reduced bearing portions Iii-l6 are pro- ..videdzexternally with one or more fins I! which extend into the refrigerating means circulating space of the motor block for the purpose of conducting-heat away from the bearing portions l6:l6 and. neck 9 and transferring it to the circulating cooling medium.

Adjacent the complemental valve bearing portions l6.-|6, the interior of, the motor block is provided with the vertically elongated complemental-segments l8+l8 which together form a socket for receiving the lower end of the hollow ,head ID of the valve unit. At the upper end of :the segments l8l8, the motor block sections A and B are provided with a horizontal top wall portion [9 whose inner'faces define the top of the cooling space while the outer or upper face defines the bottom, of the gear chamber 6. The side walls of the block extend upwardly from the top wall l9 as at 20 thereby to complete the com- .partment .6 and. said side walls are topped by a cover'2l suitably held in place by the bolts 22 or their equivalent.

The cover 2! is provided with a plurality of centrally alined openings, receiving the upper ends of the tubular valve heads 10. As will be seen from Figures 2 and 3, insulated'caps 24, having an inner central terminal 24a for conductively engaging the metal center post 241) of the spark plug, are fitted on tubular extensions 23 formed 'aroundxthe above said alined openings, the said terminal being connected with the usual distributor of the ignition system by the lead or conductor wire 25. I

As will be apparent from Figures 1, 2 and 3, of the drawings, the valves V are intended for use in connection with internal combustion engines having a single or a plurality of cylinders. For the purpose of simplifying illustration, only two cylinder units of a four-cylinder engine have been f shownt On the other hand, it will, of course, be understood that the present improvements may -".be' applied to other multiple cylinder engines whether the cylinders are in alignment or "whether the motor blocks are of the H, V, W or radial types. i Inthe arrangement shown, it will be seen that 'the gears ll of adjacent cylinders are in meshing relation and are disposed or housed within the chamber 6 at the top of the engine block. Figure 3 of the drawings illustrates the gear I I for thesecond valve of the series as being in mesh -with a pinion 26 carried by a vertical shaft 21 which is provided at itslower end with abevel "-gear 28' meshing with another bevel gear 29 on ""thecrank shaft F. It will, therefore, be apparent that the valve operating gears ll may be driven directly by the crank shaft of the motor, and it will be further understood that the gear 26 may be utilized for operating other valve gears not shown, but constituting a part of the motor.

The oil, which enters through pipe 4, flows down between the outer surface of the valve dome l and the inner sides of wall portions lS-li and tends to collect in the zone of the flange 2, the teeth 3, formed at the upper corner thereof, forcing said oil through the pipe 5 into the crank case, wherefrom, and through the usual pump system, it is made to re-establish circulation to the above said pipe 4.

I From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the novel ore-formed valve unit V and the complemental inner formations of the block sections A and B cooperate when the said block sections are bolted together to secure the valve V in 'to receive a standard spark operating position so that its port 1 may be synchronized with the ports 70; and 1b and the passages A and B respectively formed in the sections A and B. When the valve V is thus assembled between the sections of the motor block and is fitted with a gear I l which in turn meshes with an adjacent similar gear, rotary motion will be imparted to the valve through the medium of the pinion 26, shaft 21 and gears 28 and 29. The valve V is not only provided with a combined bearing neck 9 which is internally threaded plug but is also provided with a tubular head If! which completely houses and conceals the spark plug S and supports or is integral with the operating gear H for the valve. The arrangement described completely journales the valve in rotatable position at the top of the cylinder G and thus completes the top of the cylinder and at the same time provides a port which serves alternatively to receive and exhaust fuel and the products of combustion. From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the present construction provides numerous advantages. For example, the valve is adequately supported in the motor block and the novel manner of mounting the spark plug in the valve makes it possible to obtain better cooling of the standard spark plugsince the interior of the motor block may be provided with heat radiating flanges projecting into the cooling system. Also the flange 2 of the valve having the notches 3 acts as an oil pump to prevent flooding of the cylinder with oil. In addition, the particular shape of the valve makes it possible to mount the same in the block so that the valve can readily support and carry the timing gear.

We claim: i A rotary valve for internal combustion engines, comprising a dome-shaped body having a lateral port and an offset flange whose bottom face has contiguous to the upper edge of an engine cylinder, said flange havin teeth in its upper surface adapted to assist in the circulation of a lubricant pumped to the valve body when the same is rotated, a tubular neck at the crown of the dome-shaped body and having internal threads, a tubular head of larger diameter than the neck and connected therewith by a horizontal web and providing a spark plug housing, and operating means adapted to rotate said valve body with a spark plug threadedly mounted in thetubular neck of the valve body.

JUAN CARLOS or LA RIESTRA.

MARTIN AUGUSTO DE LA RIESTRA. WILLOUGHBY FRANCISCO NIXON.

(References on following page) REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Davis June 7, 1898 Rockwell June 21, 1910 Keen Apr. 1, 1913 Alyea. May 13, 1913 Number 

